1954 Four Forty-four Phillip Ladanowski

It was a strange decision for me to purchase a Wolseley 4/44 in October 1999. I suppose I was looking for a change from being sat in front of a computer either at work or playing computer games at my parents home in Runcorn, Cheshire.

The decision was not very well planned, there being no garage to store the car, so initially it spent a few weeks in the open until a dismantled concrete panel double-garage had been collected and erected - enough of the panels were salvagable to become a single garage. Finally a new roof was constructed the structure made reasonably water-tight.

Occasional trips were taken at the weekends, the battery was always flat (it wouldn't hold its charge overnight), but started easily on the starting handle. Eventually on a cold day it stalled at a roundabout (I should have left the choke on a little longer). It was then I thought it best to purchase a new battery.

Next I decided to undertake an oil & filter change, my first mechanical task in a number of years. I was actually a little confused as to how the oil filter was supposed to work - it was just floating there in the chamber. After some further research my confusion was confirmed when I discovered that it was missing a spring and end plate to hold it all together, it had most likely been running with no filter-action for over a year before I purchased it.

Eventually May 2000 arrived and I attended my first Wolseley Register event, all the way up to Scotland to celebrate the 10th year of Scottish Group Rally in May 2000. I was based in Perth having borrowed a caravan for my two week stay there. The rally itself consisted of a long driving route around the Perthshire area on the Saturday, the main rally being held at Blair Castle on the Sunday. It was at this event that I met many friendly faces from all around the UK whom as time goes on occasionally meet up again at other venues elsewhere. It was the success of this event that made me consider attending many further events and meetings and from there the story continues...

At a local North West meeting in November 2000 I offered my services to become editor of the local newsletter, to which I introduced the use of colour, it only being a short run to print off.

In 2001 I eventually left my parents and moved to Manchester, this being a little better planned out - a 1930's semi-detached house within walking distance to work, complete with a large single garage at the back of a narrow drive beside the house.

I also purchased a small folding caravan for use in longer trips further afield. I had found tents too cold & wet but then I suppose it was February at the time!

Shortly after I moved to Manchester I acquired two young abandoned cats, these have become well known over recent years at events I attend with the caravan. Sadly Toby was knocked down in the Winter of 2003, but people are still amazed that I bring Thomas along with the caravan and open the window for him to hop in & out as he pleases.

In November 2002 at the Wolseley Register A.G.M. I eventually succumbed to Peter Hanleys request that I take over his reign as editor of the Wolseley World (I had been approached on a few occasions due to my work on the North West newsletter leaving Peter to create his final Bumper colour issue 100 of November/December 2002.

As I have been around and about the regions as time has passed, OXY 168 has been pictured in a number of issues both before and since I became editor (mostly in the background).

I have attended various Regional Rally's and trips over the years, Scotland & North East events on numerous occasions, twice over to Ireland, and also down to join the South East region on the Isle of Wight in 2006 after first making a visit to the Eden project in Cornwall. For 2008 I intend to visit the Midlands & South West weekend at Oxford Bus musem & Nuffield Place.

Eventually in late 2004 I suffered a breakdown whilst on holiday - I had to call upon the services of an AA relay (complete with caravan that I had to arrange to be collected from the campsite some 30 miles away in the opposite direction). The source of the engine knocking was quickly uncovered, the pistons being a bad fit in an overworn cylinder, what little of the piston ring had deformed the top edge of the piston after getting trapped. A complete engine rebuild then ensued over the winter months and the chromework also sent off for re-chroming. The picture shows me about to refit the engine & gearbox as it dangles ready to be eased back from whence it came 2 months earlier.

Early 2005 I decided that as I had walked to work for the previous 4 years I would sell my now under-used P registered Diesel Peugout 106 and rely solely upon my Wolseley 4/44 which now proved far more driveable than before probably having regained a precious few bhp that had been missing for some time! I decided to upgrade to Halogen lights as I would be driving at night during winter months.

I now average around 6,000 miles a year (depending on how far afield I travel during the Summer months) mainly attending events around the UK. Of that there is around 2,500 miles of travelling to parents / shopping etc over the course of the year. During the non-rally season I am most likely seen travelling between Stretford, Manchester to Runcorn, Cheshire via the A56 on Sunday evenings, and also in attendance at the local North West meetings throughout the year on Thursday evenings.

Overall OXY 168 proves very reliable, the only problems being minor (the fuel pump stopping for instance - a thump normally resolves and if repeats later a quick clean of the points later). I had rebuilt an old petrol pump which I fitted as a replacement (with dual points), it worked faultlessly for 6 months but then suddenly proved extremely unreliable - I swapped the original pump back in but I haven't got around to examining it more closeley for a possible cause as to why it would only run for a minute or two when on the road.

Another example of a troublesome problem was that of a failing regulator box in December 2006, I think it was failing to cut-out when idling and not properly charging when running. In the Summer of 2007 whilst on the way to visit my parents a pothole caused the horn-ring & trafficator mechanism to collapse with the effect of causing the horn to sound almost continuously. Once I had found somewhere reasonable to pullover I hastily removing the fuse as a temporary measure to make the situation much quieter! This required the complete removal of the trafficator system to re-attach two mechanisms back together with three rivets.

As can be seen above I feel reasonably confident tinkering with the engine (I just take things slowly for stuff I am unsure of), electrics are a little trickier as I am colour blind - but then there is little or no colour left on the original wiring. Several years ago I fitted a hazard warning light system & flashing indicators which all work through the original trafficator switch which also allows the original semaphores to pop-up for the duration whilst the indicators are flashing. I also refurbished the front suspension in 2002. More structural stuff however I leave to people who know what they are doing - I had replacement sills fitted in 2001.

During colder spells of Winter I try my best to rinse the chromework and sills of salt & grit when I return on Sunday night. At the start & end of Winter a thorough jet powered wash and inspection plus re-wax applied if necessary.

Improvements, repairs, general servicing or tinkering have to be undertaken on a rolling basis except where absolutely necessary. The next job I need to undertake is to replace the radiator which has had a tendency to leak over the past couple of years. I have sourced an old radiator, I just need to get it repaired so I can effectively swap like for like.